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Hancock shooting linked to drug deal

WEIRTON — More information is being released in a weekend shooting incident in southern Hancock County, which officials say appears to have been over a drug deal gone bad.

Josh Poling, 19, of Weirton, was shot in the groin area and taken by helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian with non-life threatening injuries. His condition was unavailable Monday night.

Arrested in the shooting was Jordan A. Manns, 18, of Steubenville, who remains in the Northern Regional Jail in Moundsville on a $100,000 bond. Charged with malicious wounding and possession of cocaine, he is scheduled to appear in Hancock County Magistrate Court at 9 a.m. Friday.

Authorities arrested Manns about 45 minutes after the shooting, following a concerted multi-agency effort that involved setting up a perimeter in a wooded area near Wylie Ridge Road and North Fork Road, officials said.

Manns was apprehended by a West Virginia Division of Natural Resources officer about 50 yards from North Fork Road, near Fresno Drive.

“I truly appreciate the hard work all the law enforcement officers put into this,” Hancock County Sheriff Ralph Fletcher said.

When questioned by police, Manns said he went to 3111 Wylie Ridge Road with a friend — a juvenile male — late Saturday night after being invited to a party by a girl he met on Facebook. They met the girl at Wendy’s in Weirton, and she drove them to the party, according to a criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court.

Upon arrival, the girl went to the house to get a friend who was supposed to sell the juvenile male some marijuana, the complaint said. Neither juvenile is named in the complaint.

An argument, and then an altercation, ensued between the alleged dealer and the juvenile male. Manns told police that the juvenile male pulled the trigger, while the juvenile said Manns fired the shot, the complaint said.

Manns and his friend fled the area, and Manns disposed of the gun, which has not yet been recovered, Fletcher said.

The West Virginia State Police, the state DNR and Weirton police assisted deputies in establishing a perimeter. Two K-9 officers also were deployed.

The two suspects were observed by the DNR officer on North Fork Road, and the officer gave chase, apprehending Manns, the complaint said. The juvenile eluded capture but was later located in Steubenville. He was then brought in to the sheriff’s office for questioning.

One of the K-9s hit on a baggie containing a white powder in the area where Manns was apprehended. The substance tested positive for cocaine, the complaint said.

(Huba can be contacted at shuba@reviewonline.com)

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